Episode 176. The Spirit King of Life (1)
After eating Muto’s meal, you tend to get a headache.
Because the memories of the person I devoured are completely transmitted to me, the longer the memory, the more painful it is.
Thanks to that, when I ate Enviel, I almost lost consciousness, and when I ate the slaves that were his personal guards, my head was shattered, although not as bad as Enviel’s.
`At that time, it was because I had consumed Man-yeong’s raindrops that it stopped at that level. But now… .`
Strangely enough, nothing happened.
Of course, it’s not like it doesn’t hurt at all, it’s more like the tingling sensation you get when you wake up from sleep.
Compared to before, it was to the point where I could walk around without any problems. At this point, I didn’t even need to eat Man-yeong’s raindrops.
“Congratulations. You have now reached a state where you can absorb memories without any problems.”
`It was worth holding out for 30 minutes.`
It seems that my mental defense has also increased due to the influence of my previous job. It seems that brainwashing or headache-inducing attacks will not work with this.
“But I think it’s too early to be happy.”
Wheeing-
‘That’s right.’
It wasn’t even evening yet, but the full moon was beginning to rise.
Although it was only 12 o’clock in the morning, the sky was getting darker and the world was engulfed in darkness.
The moonlight was shining, so they could see clearly, and Tariel and Heidern were both shocked at the fact that day had turned into night in an instant.
“No way… I didn’t expect it to come out this quickly.”
Tariel muttered at the unexpected phenomenon.
A phenomenon that even an ordinary person can intuitively tell is not a good sign.
Anyone with knowledge of it would tremble as if struck by lightning out of the blue, beyond ominous.
Because it was a sign that a supernatural being capable of completely changing the weather had descended upon this land.
『Now is not the time to be watching! We need to find someone who can communicate with the Spirit King quickly! Otherwise, we might all be wiped out.』
“shit.”
Whatever the reason, Shaikhar is very angry with humans.
Since she considers humans to be her daughter’s enemy, she is likely to annihilate us all on sight.
There is a being here now who can talk to that disaster-like entity.
Thanks to him, the prisoners can ask Shaikhar to extract their magic power without any worries.
“Mary! Have you seen Prince Totema?”
“who?”
“I’m talking about Prince Totema. Don’t you remember?”
“He’s probably sleeping over there.”
When I told her that we had to find that person right away and wake him up, Mary also started to hurry and help.
But then he says…
“But who is Prince Totema?”
“….”
Anyway, that guy’s presence is slowly disappearing.
Or is it because Mary is stupid?
Anyway, I was able to find him right away because he was a person I remembered clearly, and Mary tried to use magic to bring the Totema Prince back to his senses.
But that was then.
“There’s no need for that.”
Mary and I froze at the words we heard from above.
Even the spirits that had been guarding Mary’s back suddenly bent their lower bodies and lowered their posture.
And the two spirits floating next to me were frozen and unable to move.
“I was watching your fight from beginning to end a little while ago.”
We slowly raised our heads in the direction of the sound. Soon, we could see a woman walking through the air and slowly coming down.
Her long hair, a soft light green color, swayed in the wind. Wearing a pure white one-piece dress, she exuded a divine aura, making her look like a goddess from a myth.
The green eyes of the spirit king, who took on the appearance of a beautiful woman, glanced over here once in a while.
“Even though I was away, you’ve lost your fear. You’re making such a mess of my territory.”
Anyone who heard those words would have thought he was angry.
In reality, what we have done so far is no different from suddenly breaking into someone else’s house, dividing the ground, and causing havoc.
By human law standards, it would be a prison sentence, but it is impossible to know to what extent it would be due to the spirit king’s aura.
So I gently pinched the Totema Prince’s cheek.
Please wake up.
“Didn’t I say there was no need for that?”
The spirit king Shaikhar noticed my actions and came right up to Mary and me.
Doesn’t the fact that there’s no need to do that mean you’re not willing to forgive anymore?
Ssuk-
At that moment, Shaikhar touched my head with his delicate fingers and said:
“You are cursed.”
“yes?”
『It’s so complicated that even I can’t figure it out. I don’t know how I got caught up in it, but it’s really a pity.』
What are you talking about all of a sudden?
Normally I would have thought he would just pull out my neck and kill me, but he suddenly looked at me with interest and analyzed me.
At this, I asked, bewildered.
“Excuse me… Is there something you want to do for me?”
『Nothing much. I just felt the cursed aura that I had never seen before, so I touched it. It seems you used it as a springboard for your main attack, but that doesn’t mean your life is not in danger. So don’t let your guard down.』
Don’t let your guard down? To anyone who looks at it, it looks like a warning to be careful.
It seemed strange to everyone but me, since Shaikhar was supposed to harbor hatred towards humans.
『But why did you come to my territory? It doesn’t seem like you just happened to step foot in it by accident.』
“Can I explain that to you?”
Heidern answered that question and continued his explanation in detail.
Shaikhar sneered when he learned why we had come here and why we had been unscathed by the spirits’ attacks until now.
“What? You want to give me your magic. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
『And you came all the way here believing in the boy sleeping here? That’s definitely a remarkable ability to empathize. It reminds me of my own child.』
After saying those words, I felt an ominous energy coming from Shaikhar.
Our bodies froze even more because we could intuitively tell who that kid was.
“As you all know, I hate humans very much. I don’t need to explain why, do I?”
“….”
『Even knowing that, you still dare to invade my territory? I’ve been warning you for 30 years, but you’ve always been the same.』
Completely lose touch with humans.
That was Shaiqar’s warning after the death of his daughter Maria.
If a human were to invade her territory without permission, her survival would be unprovoked. The spirits under her command would only attack humans at her command.
As long as we don’t touch them, we won’t become enemies. If we just keep that in mind, we’ll be safe, but we’ve broken that rule now.
『Especially that kid over there who messed up my right-hand man, Tritan.』
“…!”
Hearing those words, Mary bit her lip and broke out in a cold sweat.
I almost lost my sense of reason at the word ‘kid’, but I forced myself to keep it together.
The position of Spirit King was something that even Mary’s talents could not control.
But the anger that was felt from Shaikhar gradually subsided.
『I would like to use all of them as nutrients for plants, but… please give me a special look just this once.』
Shaikhar suddenly turned around and snapped his fingers.
Then, roots sprang up from the ground on their own, which transformed into a large table, and in the same way, five chairs were arranged around the table.
Shaikhar, sitting on one of them, looks at us blankly and says:
“What are you all doing? Come and sit down.”
The moonlight illuminated the table as if a light had been turned on. I don’t know what it was, but I sat down anyway.
Then, Mary was about to sit down.
“That’s not your seat, kid. You’re the shortest, so sit on the high chair.”
As Shaikhar said, there was a chair that looked particularly tall.
Mary, who understood the gist of what he meant, clenched her fists and spoke with as much restraint as she could muster.
“Excuse me… I’m 17 this year. I’m definitely not young.”
『No, you are a complete kid both physically and mentally. Face the reality. Everyone is the same age, but you are the only one wearing clothes that are too small for a child. What do you mean, it is not true? Later on, even when you become an adult, you will not be able to borrow a single erotic book because of the height difference.』
“That… stop it…”
Mary clutched her chest as if she had been stabbed with a knife, her stomach twisting.
Yet Shaikhar was merciless.
『This is all for your own good. If I lower the height of the chair, you will feel left out because your face will be hidden by the table. Is that okay? You don’t intend to ignore my sincerity in showing consideration for a short kid like you, do you?』
“I… I… am not small! Euaaaang!!”
Mary eventually ran to me, crying and clinging to me.
But it wasn’t over yet.
『Huh. If that’s the case, then the groom will have to bend over when he gets married. The groom will have to bow his head to match your height to kiss you. It seems like a wedding ceremony that you’ve never seen or heard of will be born.』
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Mary, unable to bear those words, finally collapsed in my arms, suffocating.
It was scary to see a child half-dead by sheer force, but it was also refreshing in that there was no mercy at all.
It feels like Shaikhar said what I wanted to say all this time.
Leaving Mary stretched out behind, Shaikhar got to the point.
『As I said before, I watched you fight. I watched the whole thing until the end of that knight commander who cried out for justice. That’s why I liked you once.』
“Was that something so great that it caught Shaikhar’s eye?”
When Tariel asked with a sense of doubt, Shaiqar reached out his hand towards somewhere.
Then, the Holy Sword Rosaria, which had been far away, floated in the air at her gesture and was placed on the table.
『A piece of trash that is not good enough… I don’t like the way he swings the sword that ‘that kid’ used. And he keeps talking nonsense about carrying on ‘that kid’s’ legacy. And especially when you consider that he is the blood of that group of thugs from 30 years ago.』
If we were a human, it would have been a blood-curdling feeling.
It’s strange that he doesn’t go crazy when the children of the men who killed his own daughter are using her belongings for abusive purposes.
『In the process of killing that piece of trash, you said and did what I wanted to say. It may be a coincidence, but I guess I was lucky in that it made me want to talk to you.』
“thank you.”
“That’s something I should be saying.”
But that doesn’t mean we should forget.
Considering that Shaikhar had closed his heart to humans, this was a miraculous opportunity.
Of course, we’re not asking too much of her.
“So, in short, your purpose for coming here is to offer up the magical power of those prisoners to me?”
“Yes, but.”
『Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just asking you to do the same thing as those guys who always come in here without knowing anything. But what’s the benefit to you? Is your magic power like a living time bomb?』
“that…”
『No, I won’t really ask. I decided not to get involved in whatever happens to you humans. But it seems like there’s a real time bomb somewhere else.』
Shaikhar gestured again, this time lifting Mary up and laying her down on the table.
In the midst of all this, it’s really amazing how Mary passed out with her mind blown and her eyes turned into goblin-like shapes.
“Ha, you’re short so you fit perfectly on the table. I guess you could use it as a bed too.”
“….”
Another huge sell-off was heard, but this time Mary was unable to put up any resistance.
At this point, I think he might be the person in charge of true education.
But the moment she spoke, an eerie aura hung over her.
『If there is anyone among you who holds a grudge against the Demon King, raise your hand. I will give you the opportunity to hold Rosaria in your hand and decapitate the Demon King.』
“yes?”
Another opportunity that came unexpectedly made the group swallow dry saliva.
Even Heidern’s mouth was filled with a questioning tone.
And the fact that the person who raised the hand came out made Heidern and I nervous to the point of our hearts pounding.
Because it was none other than Tariel.
『I also know about the four priests who were active in the religious order 30 years ago. They were the most powerful force in the religious order who faithfully followed ‘that child’, but they were brutally slaughtered by the Demon King Beelzebub. Of course, one of them survived.』
“….”
Shaytar already knew about Tariel.
Shaiqar spoke to Tariel, who was standing there quietly, urging him on.
“Your comrade’s enemy is right in front of you. That’s why you raised your hand, right?”
“It’s true that I raised my hand. But…”
Tariel continued, lowering his hands as if dead.
“I will not hold a knife.”
『Why? You must have seen it clearly. I mean, controlling that huge amount of bugs to catch my Tritan.』
Three of the four priests also died in a similar manner.
The sight must still be vivid in Tariel’s mind, but Shaiqar found it interesting that he did not seek vengeance.
“That’s right. The Demon Lord who appears in my dreams whenever she gets a chance. But she is not the Demon Lord. She is the daughter of the White Tower Lord and a genius magician. Mary Ludsiel, a second-year student at Alighieri. That is her true form.”
『… .』
Moonlight was still shining on the table.
A girl lies at the center of this table, the only flower with a hint of luster in contrast to the dark, gloomy surroundings.
The girl was radiant, as if nothing could be purer than her.
“Shaikhar once despaired of humanity. I too felt the same way when I lost my saint. But not all humans are… so foolish as to be blinded by such ominousness.”
Blinded by the ominousness, the people turned into a mob, and eventually drove the saint to the brink of death.
Because the number was so large, we have a prejudice and pessimism that it is ‘all humans.’
But Tariel wanted to prove that this wasn’t always the case.
“Is that your answer?”
“yes.”
Instead of criticizing him, Shaikhar smiled.
Because I felt that the opportunity to have this conversation was not in vain.
『Yes, as you said, this child may not be the Demon King. At least, I have never seen a case where someone became the Demon King by their own will.』
Being a Demon King is not a state that you can reach by wishing to do so, it is simply something that is determined by fate.
If I refer to the world view settings that I know.
『Just as light descends from the sky when a saint is chosen, the Demon King also has darkness within his body when he is born. It’s just the difference between yang and yin. Do you understand what this means?』
Yes, that’s right.
A being that is born periodically in each era and exerts enormous influence.
The only difference is the color. The Demon King can be seen as the same as the Saintess.
『It’s a shame that this child was chosen, but it’s fortunate that he has a pure heart. Compared to the demon lords I’ve faced in the past, he’s the complete opposite.』
“Are you talking about the Demon King of the past?”
Shaikhar said, clenching his fists as if recalling a bad memory.
『This is a story from 300 years ago. The Demon King chosen at that time was one who, rather than rejecting power, accepted it for his own pleasure.』
I know that Demon King very well.
That guy was the Demon King who drove the great sage Dantia to death and almost led the empire to destruction.
『But how strange. Should I call it fate?』
“…?”
Shaikhar focuses his gaze on me with a serious expression.
When I got nervous she said,
“There’s a guy here who was related to that guy back then. I don’t know him, though.”
“What do you mean…!”
It was natural that everyone was surprised.
Because he is sure that it cannot happen to him, and I am also sure of that.
but…
“There’s a boy.”
“yes.”
『When I stroked your head a little while ago, I was able to learn about your bloodline. As the Spirit King of Life, finding out human blood is a piece of cake for me.』
The shocking words I heard next made me hold my breath.
“I’m saying that you have the same blood as that guy back then.”
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
